THE DARK LORD'S PRIVATE RESIDENCE, UNKNOWN LOCATION.
"πππππ π, πππ π‘ππ, πππππ π πππ'π‘ ππ!"
"πΈπππ’πβ," π»π βππ π ππ, πππππ-π βππ‘ ππ¦ππ πππππππ π‘ππ€ππππ βππ, π‘πππ‘β πππππ, "πΌ π€πππ βπππ ππ ππππ ππ π‘βππ ."
πβπ ππππ'π‘ ππππ πππ€π, ππππ ππ βππ ππ¦ππ π βπππππ ππππβπ‘ππ¦ π€ππ‘β ππ ππ’πβ ππππππππ ππ π βπ π€ππ’ππ ππππ, "π€βππ‘ ππ π‘βππ ππ π€βππ‘ ππ‘ πππππ‘, ππ¦ πΏπππ? 'πβπ πππ¦ π€βπ βππ π‘βπ πππ€ππ π‘π π£ππππ’ππ β π‘βπ π·πππ πΏπππ'. π΄ππππ€ ππ, πππππ π πππ π‘ππ β πππ‘ ππ ππ ππ π¦ππ’π πππππ. π·π πππ‘ πππ π π€βππ‘ π¦ππ’ βππ£π π€πππππ π π βπππ π‘π ππβπππ£π!"
"πππ’ πππ πππππ ππππππ β, π΅πππππ‘πππ₯! π»π ππ π πππππ !" π»π π ππππππ ππππ π£ππππππ’π ππ¦, "π€βππ‘ πππ π πβπππ ππ π‘π ππ? πβπ ππππππ‘ππ πΏπππ πππππππππ‘? πΌπ‘ ππ πΌ π€βπ ππ’π π‘ πππ π‘βππ ππππβπππ¦ ππππ πππ πππ πππ!"
πβπ πππ€ βππ π‘βπ ππππππππππ ππ π‘ππππ ππ βππ ππ¦ππ , π‘βπ πππππ ππ βππ πβππππ πππ π‘ππ ππ βππ πππ π π‘π’πππππ π πππ‘π‘ππ ππππ. πβπ ππππππππ βππ ππππ ππππ, βππ π£ππππ ππ’πππ‘ππ π‘βππ π‘πππ, "πππ π‘ππ."
"π΅ππππ." π»π π’π‘π‘ππππ, βππ π£ππππ π‘ππ ππππππππ π πππ€ πππ‘ππ£ππ , ππ ππ₯βπππ ππ π βπππ-πππ’π π‘πππ‘ππ βπππ-ππππππ£πππ π ππβ πππ π πππ βππ πππ π‘ππππ . π»π π π‘πππ ππππππ βππ, π πππ‘βπππ βππ ππππ π‘πππππ‘πππ π€ππ‘β πππ‘π‘ππ ππππ π‘βππ π ππππ§π ππ βππ πππ’πππππ ππ£ππ βππ πβπππ, "π¦ππ’ βππ£π πππ€ππ¦π ππππ ππ¦ πππ π‘ πππ¦ππ, ππ¦ πππ π‘ ππππ‘βππ’π. πΉππ π‘βππ π¦ππ’ π€πππ ππ πππ€πππππ."
"π·π π¦ππ’ πππ‘ π ππ? πΌ π€ππ’ππ π‘πππ πππ€π π‘βπ πππππ πππ π¦ππ’, ππ¦ πΏπππ, πππ πππππ ππ‘ ππ‘ π¦ππ’π ππππ‘," π βπ π πππ πππ‘ππ π ππππππ‘ ππ π βπ π π‘πππππ ππ π‘π βππ π‘ππ’πβ, βππ ππππ¦, βπππ£πππ¦ ππππππ ππ¦ππ π π‘πππ πππππππ π€ππ‘β π‘ππππ πππ π€ππ‘π‘πππ βππ π‘βπππ, ππππ, ππππ πππ βππ , "π‘βπ ππππ¦ πππ€πππ πΌ πππ’ππ π€πππ‘ ππ π¦ππ’π π πππ πππ‘π’ππ."
π»ππ π ππππππ π πππ ππ‘ πππ. πβπ π π‘πππππ ππ, βππ πππππππ ππ’πππππ ππππ’ππ βππ πππ ππππ‘ππ¦. π»π π ππβππ π πππ€ππ¦, ππππ πππ βππ ππ¦ππ π ππππππ‘. πβπ π€ππ π π ππππ π βπ πππ’ππ ππππ βππ π€πππ, π πππ‘ πππππ‘βπ ππ βππ ππππ πππ πβππ π‘, ππππ‘ πππππππ ππ βππ ππππ βπππ π πππ€ππ¦ πππ£πππ π‘βπππ π€ππ¦ πππ‘π βππ πππππ πππππ βππ πβππ π‘, πππ πππ’ππ‘πππ π‘βπππ πππ£ππ πππ‘π€πππ πππ π‘ππππππ ππ π‘βπ ππππππ ππππππ‘β πππ πππππππ π‘βπππ π€ππ¦ π‘π βππ ππππ βππππ‘. π»ππ ππππ π€πππ ππ‘ βππ ππππβπππ, πππ βπ πππ‘ π‘βππ πππ π‘ π‘βπππ π ππππππ‘. π»ππ πππππ¦, π‘πππππ π‘π’ππ’π πππ‘π’ππ π€ππ πππ‘ π ππππ‘βπππ βπ πππ‘πππππ π‘π βπππππ ππ’π‘ ππ‘ πππ’ππ ππ π πππ‘βππ ππ‘ ππππ π‘ ππ¦ π‘βπ πππ€ππ βπ ππ₯π’πππ. π΄π ππ’πππππ¦ ππ π‘βππ¦ βππ ππππ π‘π π‘βπππ ππππ ππππ π , βπ βππ π π‘πππππ ππ€ππ¦.
"π΄π π³πππ ." πβπ π πππ, βππ π£ππππ πππππ¦πππ ππ π‘βππ’πβ π€ππ βπππ βππ π€πππ πππ π€ππ‘β ππ£πππ¦ ππππ’ππ‘ππππ π ππππππ¦π πππ’ππ πππππ.
π»π π‘π’ππππ πππ π ππππππ‘ ππππππ βπ'π π π€πππ‘ ππππ π‘βπ ππππ, βπππ πππππππ ππ‘ βππ ππ£ππ βππ π βππ’ππππ ππ βπ πππ£π π π πππππ πππ, "ππ π³ππ π."
. . .
She'd woken with a fierce start in his bed a few hours later to a pain so severe it made her gasp. She clutched at her forearm as the muscles in her hand cramped and twitched, grey eyes wild with confusion shooting to the mark on her wrist. It seared a crimson so deep it looked like her own blood. She clenched her teeth, brows knitting, agony making her stomach coil and tighten in anguish. Tears brimmed her lashes, sweat stuck to her skin β and then she heard his voice as though he had whispered it in her ear, "remember."
Bellatrix flung the sheets off herself and dressed with a flick of her wand. She glanced at the clock as she passed it in the hallway, it was one in the morning. He should've been back β how had she fallen asleep? He had promised her he would be back no later than midnight, he had assured her it was a simple job but one he had to do himself nonetheless.
She apparated without further delay back to her own manor in Surrey.
CASTLE LESTRANGE, SURREY.
"Rodolphus!" She called through the house, taking to the stairs in darkness through memory, "Rodolphus!"
The door to the master suit flung open and Rodolphus came out, sleep, concern and confusion on his face, "Bella? What is it love?"
"He's hurtβ" she said quickly, "he'sβ" she cut herself off and clenched her arm.
Rodolphus, bewildered, looked down at his arm and to his wife's. His mark wasn't searing, "what do you mean?"
Bellatrix's arm was bleeding around her mark. It felt as though someone had hold of her arm and had been pulled away at such force they'd torn off her skin in the process, "he's hurt!"
"Okay," Rodolphus hushed as he cupped her face, his thick brows knotting, "it's okay love, we'll go to him together β where is he?"
"I don't know!" She said, warm tears running down her face and her husband's thumbs sweeping them all away, "I can feel him β he's hurt β he's dying."
"What's going on?" Rabastan called from across the hall, "Bella? Are you okay?"
"He can't die, Bella." He assured quickly and quietly as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and walked his wife back towards the stairs. They'd find the other death eaters immediately, "Bella, you're the only legilimens aside from him β reach them all, okay? Rab, come downstairs."
Bellatrix nodded quickly, sweeping her tears away as blood dripped down her arm to her fingertips. She breathed, closing her eyes and drowning out the pain β her Master's pain.
Rabastan followed his brother and sister in-law down with a look of utter confusion much like his brother's had been only moments ago. One by one, death eaters appeared in the foyer of the manor, some still in their night-clothes, some who looked as though they'd been out. Antonin Dolohov, Alecto and Amycus Carrow, Augustus Rookwood, Corban Yaxley, Evan Rosier, Igor Karkaroff, Mulciber jr, Walden Macnair, Barty Crouch Jr. . . Each and every one of them appeared. They all looked confused. None of their marks were burning like Bellatrix's, whose arm was still searing, though her tears had gone.
"What's wrong?" Antonin was the first to step forward, "Where is he?"
A sudden loud pop followed the question and Lucius Malfoy came in, hair a little out of place and breathless, "the Ministry are saying he's gone β the Dark Lord, the Potter boy killed him."
A murmur fell amongst the group, but Bellatrix shook her head, "Harry Potter is a child! And he couldn't have killed him β and are you forgetting, Lucius? That our master is immortal?" Silence fell once again as Bellatrix looked around at them all, "are none of your marks burning? Can none of you feel him?"
Alecto reached out for Bellatrix's arm wearily, "Bellatrixβ" she said quietly, showing her own arm. Her mark untouched, in fact it looked a little dull, like a faded tattoo, "it's just yours."
Karkaroff spoke up, his thick Russian accent much louder than Alecto's quiet voice, "perhaps he is merely wounded."
"Merely wounded?" Bellatrix stared at him with abject horror, "you all know fully well what he had planned for tonight. If he is wounded then it is our job to find him and restore him to health!"
"Everyone is to leave, and to find him no matter the costs β and no one is to return until he has been found." With blood trickling down her arm, over her fingertips and dripping onto the floor as she spoke, Bellatrix Lestrange looked like a madwoman. Her grey eyes were bloodshot much like their Masters, her usually beautifully done glossy black hair was left open and wild. Yet, not one person questioned her. She was after all, his right hand witch. He allowed her to instruct orders on the others too, and they all followed without question. "Well?" She asked after a moment, "go."
